Composite fiber having elastomer and method for making the same, and a substrate having the composite fiber and method for making the same

ABSTRACT

A composite fiber having elastomer and method for making the same, and a substrate having the composite fiber and method for making the same are provided. The composite fiber includes a first composition and a second composition. The first composition is thermoplastic non-elastomer, and the second composition is thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). The second composition is in an amount of 5 to 70 weight % of the composite fiber. The first composition and the second composition are alternately distributed in a circumference of a cross-section of the composite fiber, and the length of the second composition is less than 50% of the total length of the circumference. The TPE can be dispersed uniformly and increase the adhesion between fibers, and the segmented fiber cross-section thereof further prevents the TPE from becoming too adhesive and affecting the processing during the fabrication of fibers and non-woven fabric substrates. Therefore, the non-woven fabric substrate or artificial leather made from the composite fiber has excellent textile feeling and physical properties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a composite fiber and a method formaking the same, and a substrate having the composite fiber and a methodfor making the same, and more particularly to a composite fiber havingelastomer and a method for making the same, and a substrate having thecomposite fiber and a method for making the same.

2. Description of the Related Art

Artificial leather is generally fabricated with the following method. Anon-woven fabric (containing fibers made of non-elastomeric polymer suchas nylon or polyester) is doped/impregnated in an elastopolymer solutionor a latex solution (mainly containing polyurethane (PU)), and theelastopolymer is then cured through a wet or dry process. The non-wovenfabric doped with the elastopolymer is cured into a sponge or ablock-shaped structure, in which the cured elastopolymer covers andsurrounds fiber bundles.

Natural leather has a substrate constructed with a delicate upper layerand a rough lower layer. However, strict control technology is requiredin the PU-impregnation stage of the artificial leather, and although thePU-impregnated substrate has excellent texture and durability, thefibers are filled with a resin to form a solid construction, resultingin poor air permeability and difficulty in achieving lightweightperformance. Moreover, as a solvent is used in PU-impregnation, thefabrication is complicated, and environmental problems may occur.

Most artificial leather using superfine fiber which needs to undergofiber distribution by using a solvent or lye. Since the fiberdistribution process must be implemented with the solvent or lye, severepollution to the environment will occur.

Japanese Patent Publication No. H04-185777 discloses a method offabricating artificial leather by using a high-density non-woven fabricsubstrate to impregnate with low dry content binder resin beforePU-impregnation. However, as the distribution of the impregnated binderfrom the interior to the exterior of the non-woven fabric can hardly beuniform, the fabricated artificial leather lacks softness on thesurface, has low inter-layer strength, and cannot be used as a materialfor shoes in rigorous conditions.

Japanese Patent Publication No. S54-59499 discloses a method ofimpregnating a wound non-woven fabric substrate made of fine fiberbundles in an aqueous emulsion of a binder resin, and then blowing hotair on only one side of the substrate, so that the binder resin mainlymigrates on the side blown with the hot air, and the migration of theresin on the other side of the substrate is suppressed. However, whenthe migration is prevented according to this method, as a minute amountof aqueous emulsion of the binder resin is left on the other side, thecuring degree varies on the two sides of the substrate, and thus it isdifficult to fabricate an artificial leather substrate made of finefibers with no binder resin adhered to the surface thereof.

Taiwan (ROC) Patent Publication No. 200745408 discloses a method ofusing a fibrous binder to achieve uniform distribution of the binder. Inthis method, a water-soluble thermoplastic polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) resinis used as a sea composition polymer of sea-island cross-section fibers,and after a non-woven fabric is made, the PVA resin is uniformlydistributed in the non-woven fabric through water-solubility andthermoplasticity of the resin. However, as the PVA resin is inelasticand easily solved in water, the whole fabric lacks softness, and iseasily attenuated in physical properties and cannot be used any more ina damp environment.

Taiwan (ROC) Patent No. 134197 discloses a method in which a substrateis formed by a matrix fiber and a binder fiber provided with anelastopolymer on its surface. This method is characterized in that thebinder fiber is dispersed in the matrix fiber and softened in a fiberassembly of the matrix fiber. The binder fiber used herein is mainly ofa core-sheath configuration. During the formation of a fiber substrate,in order to prevent premature adhesion of the fibers, which would affectthe quality of the substrate, a mold releasing agent is applied to apart of the surface of the matrix fiber. In this case, although theimpregnation with an elastopolymer solution is not needed, thefabrication time and cost are not effectively reduced due to theadditional mold releasing agent process.

Therefore, it is necessary to provide a composite fiber having elastomerand a method for making the same, and a substrate having the compositefiber and a method for making the same to solve the above problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a method for making a compositefiber having elastomer. The method includes: (a) providing a firstcomposition and a second composition, in which the first composition isthermoplastic non-elastomer, the second composition is thermoplasticelastomer (TPE), and the second composition is in an amount of 5 to 70weight % of the composite fiber; and (b) using a composite spinneret tosimultaneously spin the first composition and the second composition soas to perform segmented composite spinning to obtain a plurality ofcomposite fibers, in which the first composition and the secondcomposition are alternately distributed in a circumference of across-section of each of the composite fibers, and the length of thesecond composition is less than 50% of the total length of thecircumference.

The present invention is also directed to an artificial leathersubstrate including a plurality of composite fibers. In the substrate,cross-points between the composite fibers are elastic bonding pointsformed by softening the second composition.

The present invention is further directed to a method for making anartificial leather substrate. The method includes: (a) providing aplurality of composite fibers; (b) forming a plurality of fiber webs, inwhich the fiber webs contain the composite fibers; (c) stacking thefiber webs; (d) performing needle punching or water punching on thefiber webs; (e) softening the second composition to bond the compositefibers; and (f) curing the second composition, so that cross-pointsbetween the composite fibers are elastic bonding points formed by thesecond composition.

In the present invention, the TPE in the composite fiber can bedispersed uniformly and increase the adhesion between fibers, and thesegmented fiber cross-section thereof may further prevent the TPE frombecoming too adhesive and thus affecting the processing during thefabrication of fibers and non-woven fabric substrates. Therefore, thesurface of the non-woven fabric becomes more delicate and smoother afterhot-pressing, and the physical properties of the fabric are enhanced anda high dimensional stability is achieved. Moreover, no additionalsolvent is needed in the fiber refining of the non-woven fabricsubstrate, so an environment-friendly fiber opening process with nowaste is provided, and the non-woven fabric substrate has textilefeeling like superfine fibers and resilient touch similar to naturalleather. Thus, the artificial leather made from the composite fiber hasexcellent textile feeling and physical properties.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a composite fiber havingelastomer according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a composite fiber havingelastomer according to a second embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a composite fiber havingelastomer according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the present invention, a first composition (thermoplasticnon-elastomer) and a second composition (thermoplastic elastomer, TPE)are used for segmented superfine fiber composite spinning to obtain acomposite fiber, and the composite fiber is further processed into anartificial leather substrate and artificial leather. The composite fiberis characterized in that the first composition (thermoplasticnon-elastomer) is in an amount of 30 to 95 weight %, preferably 40 to 60weight %, of the composite fiber. The second composition (TPE) is in anamount of 5 to 70 weight % of the composite fiber. The secondcomposition (TPE) is discontinuously distributed in a circumference of across-section of the composite fiber, and alternately distributed withthe first composition (thermoplastic non-elastomer). Moreover, thelength of the second composition (TPE) is less than 50% of the totallength of the circumference along the cross-section of the compositefiber.

The composite fiber has the following advantages. As the secondcomposition (TPE) exposed outside a periphery of the composite fiber isreduced, a mold releasing agent is not needed. Besides, after thecomposite fiber is softened by heating or through solution impregnation,the second composition (TPE) is separated by the first composition(thermoplastic non-elastomer), so the second composition (TPE) does notbecome too adhesive or feel like rubber. In addition, after beingsoftened and dispersed by flowing, the first composition (thermoplasticnon-elastomer) may achieve the effect of fiber refining.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a composite fiberhaving elastomer according to a first embodiment of the presentinvention. The composite fiber 1 includes a first composition 11 and asecond composition 12. The first composition 11 is thermoplasticnon-elastomer, and the second composition 12 is TPE. The firstcomposition 11 is exposed outside a periphery of the composite fiber 1,and forms a plurality of first segments 111 in a circumference of across-section of the composite fiber 1. The second composition 12 isexposed outside the periphery of the composite fiber 1, and forms aplurality of second segments 121 in the circumference of thecross-section of the composite fiber 1. The first segments 111 and thesecond segments 121 together form the circumference of the cross-sectionof the composite fiber 1, and the first segments 111 and the secondsegments 121 are distributed alternately. The total length of the secondsegments 121 is less than 50% of the total length of the circumferencealong the cross-section of the composite fiber.

In this embodiment, the first composition 11 includes a plurality offirst stripes having the first segments 111 on two ends, and the secondcomposition 12 includes a plurality of second stripes having the secondsegments 121 on two ends.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a composite fiberhaving elastomer according to a second embodiment of the presentinvention. The composite fiber 2 includes a first composition 21 and asecond composition 22. The first composition 21 is thermoplasticnon-elastomer, and the second composition 22 is TPE. The firstcomposition 21 is exposed outside a periphery of the composite fiber 2,and forms a plurality of first segments 211 in a circumference of across-section of the composite fiber 2. The second composition 22 isexposed outside the periphery of the composite fiber 2, and forms aplurality of second segments 221 in the circumference of thecross-section of the composite fiber 2. In this embodiment, the firstcomposition 21 includes a plurality of first sectors having the firstsegments 211 as arc-shaped edges, and the second composition 22 includesa plurality of second sectors having the second segments 221 asarc-shaped edges.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a composite fiberhaving elastomer according to a third embodiment of the presentinvention. The composite fiber 3 includes a first composition 31 and asecond composition 32. The first composition 31 is thermoplasticnon-elastomer, and the second composition 32 is TPE. The firstcomposition 31 is exposed outside a periphery of the composite fiber 3,and forms a plurality of first segments 311 in a circumference of across-section of the composite fiber 3. The second composition 32 isexposed outside the periphery of the composite fiber 3, and forms aplurality of second segments 321 in the circumference of thecross-section of the composite fiber 3. In this embodiment, the firstcomposition 31 includes a central portion 312 and a plurality of firstperipheral portions 313. The first peripheral portions 313 extendoutwards from the central portion 312 and have the first segments 311 onouter ends. The second composition 32 includes a plurality of secondperipheral portions, and each of the second peripheral portions islocated between two of the first peripheral portions 313. The secondperipheral portions are connected to the central portion 312 on one end,and have the second segments 321 on the other end.

A method for making a composite fiber having elastomer according to thepresent invention includes the steps of: (a) providing a firstcomposition and a second composition, in which the first composition isthermoplastic non-elastomer, the second composition is thermoplasticelastomer (TPE), and the second composition is in an amount of 5 to 70weight % of the composite fiber; and (b) using a composite spinneret tosimultaneously spin the first composition and the second composition soas to perform segmented composite spinning to obtain a plurality ofcomposite fibers, in which the first composition and the secondcomposition are alternately distributed in a circumference of across-section of each of the composite fibers, and the length of thesecond composition is less than 50% of the total length of thecircumference.

Take the composite fiber 2 of the second embodiment for example, in thespinning process of Step (b), the first composition 21 (thermoplasticnon-elastomer) and the second composition 22 (TPE) are separatelyextruded to form a composite fiber 2 having 8 to 128, preferably 16 to48, sectors in total. If the total number of the sectors is too small,the second composition 22 (TPE) is not well dispersed after beingsoftened by heating or through solution impregnation, and the fabricatedartificial leather substrate or artificial leather has undesirablestrength or textile feeling. If the total number of the sectors is toolarge, the second composition 22 (TPE) completely wraps the compositefiber 2 after being softened by heating or through solutionimpregnation, and the fabricated artificial leather substrate orartificial leather has undesirable textile feeling. Therefore, thelength of the second composition 22 (TPE) distributed along thecross-section of the composite fiber 2 is less than 50%, preferablybelow 40%, of the total length of the circumference. If the percentageis too great, after the second composition 22 (TPE) is softened byheating or through solution impregnation, the composite fibers 2 maybecome too adhesive, thereby giving the fabricated artificial leathersubstrate or artificial leather a rather hard textile feeling.

In the present invention, the material of the first composition isselected from the group consisting of polyester polymers, polyamidepolymers, and polyolefin polymers. The polyester polymers arepolyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT),polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), and modifications or copolymersthereof. The polyamide polymers are polyamide-6 (PA6), polyamide-66(PA66), polyamide-12 (PA12), and modifications or copolymers thereof.The polyolefin polymers are polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), andmodifications or copolymers thereof. In addition, functional auxiliaryagents such as dyes, carbon black, plasticizers, and stabilizers may beadded according to actual requirements.

In the present invention, the material of the second composition isselected from the group consisting of thermoplastic styrenic blockcopolymer elastomer, thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE),thermoplastic olefin (TPO), thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV), andthermoplastic polyamide (TPA). The thermoplastic styrenic blockcopolymer elastomer is styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS),styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene (SEBS),styrene-ethylene/propylene-styrene (SEPS), styrene-isoprene-styrene(SIS), or mixtures thereof. The TPO is thermoplastic ethylene-propylenecopolymer (TEP). In addition, functional auxiliary agents such as dyes,carbon black, antisticking agents, and stabilizers may be addedaccording to actual requirements.

The present invention further provides an artificial leather substrate,which includes a plurality of composite fibers (as described above).Each of the composite fibers includes a first composition (as describedabove) and a second composition (as described above). The firstcomposition is thermoplastic non-elastomer, the second composition isTPE, and the second composition is in an amount of 5 to 70 weight % ofthe composite fiber. The first composition and the second compositionare alternately distributed in a circumference of a cross-section ofeach of the composite fibers, and the length of the second compositionis less than 50% of the total length of the circumference. Cross-pointsbetween the composite fibers are elastic bonding points formed bysoftening the second composition.

The material of the first composition is selected from the groupconsisting of polyester polymers, polyamide polymers, and polyolefinpolymers. The material of the second composition is selected from thegroup consisting of thermoplastic styrenic block copolymer elastomer,TPEE, TPO, TPV, and TPA.

Preferably, the substrate further includes a plurality of mixed fibers.The mixed fibers are thermoplastic non-elastomer, and the materialthereof is selected from the group consisting of polyester polymers,polyamide polymers, and polyolefin polymers. The composite fibers are inan amount of 5 to 75 weight % of the substrate.

The composite fibers are formed into a plurality of first fiber webs,the mixed fibers are formed into a plurality of second fiber webs, andthe first fiber webs and the second fiber webs are stacked over eachother. Alternatively, the mixed fibers are blended to form a pluralityof third fiber webs, and the third fiber webs are stacked over oneanother. Cross-points between the mixed fibers and the composite fibersare elastic bonding points formed by softening the second composition.

A method for making a substrate by using the composite fiber includesthe steps of: (a) providing a plurality of composite fibers (asdescribed above), in which each of the composite fibers includes a firstcomposition (as described above) and a second composition (as describedabove), the first composition is thermoplastic non-elastomer, the secondcomposition is TPE, and the second composition is in an amount of 5 to70 weight % of the composite fiber, the first composition and the secondcomposition are alternately distributed in a circumference of across-section of each of the composite fibers, and the length of thesecond composition is less than 50% of the total length of thecircumference; (b) forming a plurality of fiber webs, in which the fiberwebs contain the composite fibers; (c) stacking the fiber webs; (d)performing needle punching or water punching on the fiber webs; (e)softening the second composition by heating or through solutionimpregnation to bond the composite fibers; and (f) curing the secondcomposition by removing the heat or the solution, so that cross-pointsbetween the composite fibers are elastic bonding points formed by thesecond composition.

If only the composite fibers are provided, the composite fibers areformed into a plurality of first fiber webs in Step (b), the first fiberwebs are stacked in Step (c), and needle punching or water punching isperformed on the first fiber webs in Step (d).

If a plurality of mixed fibers is further provided in Step (a), themixed fibers are the thermoplastic non-elastomer, and the compositefibers are in an amount of 5 to 75 weight % of the substrate, thefollowing two circumstances may occur in the subsequent processes.

In a first circumstance, the composite fibers are formed into aplurality of first fiber webs and the mixed fibers are formed into aplurality of second fiber webs in Step (b), the first fiber webs and thesecond fiber webs are stacked over each other in Step (c), needlepunching or water punching is performed on the first fiber webs and thesecond fiber webs in Step (d), the second composition is softened tobond the composite fibers and the mixed fibers in Step (e), and thesecond composition is cured, so that cross-points between the mixedfibers and the composite fibers are elastic bonding points formed bysoftening the second composition in Step (f).

In a second circumstance, the composite fibers and the mixed fibers areblended to form a plurality of third fiber webs in Step (b), the thirdfiber webs are stacked over one another in Step (c), needle punching orwater punching is performed on the third fiber webs in Step (d), thesecond composition is softened to bond the composite fibers and themixed fibers in Step (e), and the second composition is cured, so thatcross-points between the mixed fibers and the composite fibers areelastic bonding points formed by softening the second composition inStep (f).

A method for making a non-woven fabric substrate is illustrated below inan embodiment. First, the composite fibers are formed into a pluralityof fiber webs by spunbond, meltblow, Carding, wet spinning, or airlaid.Undrawn yarn of approximately 3 denier to 30 denier is obtained throughthe last three processes, and the undrawn yarn is then drawn, heat-set,crimped, oiled, dried, and cut off to form a composite staple fiber withcrimps having a fineness of 1 denier to 10 denier and a length of 2 cmto 10 cm. Next, the composite staple fiber is blended at a weight ratioof 5% to 100% with other staple fibers to form a fiber web. Then, aplurality of fiber webs is stacked, and the fiber composition andproportion vary for fiber webs of different layers. Finally, needlepunching (or water punching) is performed to generate entanglementbetween the fibers, so as to form a non-woven fabric having a basisweight of 100 g/m² to 1000 g/m². The non-woven fabric is furtherhot-pressed at 80° C. to 200° C. to smooth down the surface, and thuscan be used as the non-woven fabric substrate for artificial leather.

The staple fiber or filament that is blended with the composite fiber toform the non-woven fabric may include one or more staple fibers orfilament. The staple fiber or filament may be a staple fiber formed of asingle composition selected from the group consisting of polyesterpolymers, polyamide polymers, and polyolefin polymers, or a compositestaple fiber or composite long fiber formed of at least two of the abovecompositions.

The present invention further provides an artificial leather, whichincludes a substrate (as described above) and an elastic film. Thesubstrate is a non-woven fabric substrate. The elastic film is locatedon a surface of the substrate. The material of the elastic film iselastopolymer or latex.

The artificial leather can be made with the following three methods, butthe present invention is not thus limited.

In a first method, an elastopolymer solution or a latex solution isdirectly and uniformly applied on a release paper. Then, theelastopolymer solution or latex solution is dried and the solvent isremoved to form an elastic film. The applying and drying steps may berepeated according to different function or thickness requirements so asto form a multilayer elastic film. Finally, an elastopolymer bindingagent is uniformly applied on the surface of the elastic film, and thenon-woven fabric substrate is laminated on the film and dried so thatthe elastic film and the non-woven fabric substrate are fully attached,and the release paper is peeled off to obtain the artificial leatherafter cooling.

In a second method, an elastopolymer solution or a latex solution isdirectly and uniformly applied on the non-woven fabric substrate. Then,the solvent is removed and the elastopolymer is solidified. Afterwards,the solvent is cleaned by rinsing and the substrate is dried. At thistime, the solidified elastopolymer forms an elastic film. Finally,surface treatment such as abrasion (abrading the elastic film) andlamination (laminating the non-woven fabric substrate and the elasticfilm on another PU) is performed according to different requirements toobtain the artificial leather.

In a third method, the non-woven fabric substrate is impregnated(dipping) in an elastopolymer solution or a latex solution, and theelastopolymer solution or latex solution is infiltrated into theinterior of the non-woven fabric substrate. Roller extrusion is thenperformed to maintain the absorbed elastopolymer solution or latexsolution at a desired ratio. The substrate is slightly dried to removethe solvent, and the elastopolymer solution or latex solution is furtherapplied on the surface of the substrate. Afterwards, the solvent isremoved and the elastopolymer is solidified. Then, the solvent iscleaned by rinsing and the substrate is dried. At this time, thesolidified elastopolymer forms an elastic film. Finally, surfacetreatment such as abrasion (abrading the elastic film) and lamination(laminating the non-woven fabric substrate and the elastic film onanother PU) is performed according to different requirements to obtainthe artificial leather.

The material of the elastopolymer may be synthetic resin selected fromthe group consisting of polyvinyl chloride, polyamide, polyester,polyester-polyether copolymer, polyacrylate copolymer, PU,polychloroprene, styrene-butadiene copolymer, silicone, polyamino acid,and polyamino acid-polyurethane copolymer, or natural polymer resin, orany mixture thereof. In addition, functional auxiliary agents such aspigments, dyes, crosslinkers, fillers, plasticizers, and stabilizers maybe added according to actual requirements.

The present invention has the following advantages. The TPE in thecomposite fiber can be dispersed uniformly and increase the adhesionbetween fibers, and the segmented fiber cross-section thereof mayfurther prevent the TPE from becoming much more adhesive and affectingthe processing during the fabrication of fibers and non-woven fabricsubstrates. Therefore, the surface of the non-woven fabric becomes moredelicate and smoother after hot-pressing, and the physical properties ofthe fabric are enhanced and a high dimensional stability is achieved.Moreover, no additional solvent is needed in the fiber refining of thenon-woven fabric substrate, so that an environment-friendly fiberopening process with no waste is provided, and the non-woven fabricsubstrate has textile feeling like superfine fibers and resilient touchclose to that of natural leather. Thus, the artificial leather made fromthe composite fiber has excellent textile feeling and physicalproperties.

After being softened by heating or through solution impregnation, theTPE has low fluidity, and is thus capable of flowing and being dispersedbetween the fibers. Afterwards, when the heat or solution is removed,the TPE returns to a solid state, thereby increasing the adhesionbetween the fibers. In this case, in addition to the physicalentanglement, the adhesion caused by the TPE is also provided betweenthe fibers. Thus, the strength of the artificial leather substrate andthe artificial leather is enhanced, the elongation of the leather in themachine direction (MD) and cross direction (CD) is reduced, and thedimensional stability of the material is improved. In the artificialleather substrate fabricated by using this method, the TPE is dispersedinside the substrate, so the substrate achieves the elastic touch ofartificial leather, and marks left after needle punching or waterpunching are reduced so that the surface becomes more delicate andsmoother. Therefore, when an elastopolymer solution or a latex solutionis further applied on the substrate, the number of times of applicationand the amount of the solution are reduced, so the manufacturing timeand cost of the substrate are also decreased.

In the present invention, during the thermal treatment or solutionimpregnation of the artificial leather substrate or artificial leather,the TPE is capable of flowing and being dispersed like the seacomposition of the sea-island fiber, and another fiber that is notheated or impregnated in a solution is refined. At this time, the TPEdoes not need to be removed, but is dispersed between the fibers andserves as a binder between the fibers after being cooled down.Therefore, in the whole fiber refining process, no composition isremoved, and treatment after composition removal is unnecessary, so thisprocess is an environment-friendly fiber refining process.

Examples are given below to further illustrate the present invention,and the present invention is not limited to the disclosure of theseexamples.

Example 1

SEBS chips (having a melt flow rate of 25 g/10 min, manufactured byKraton Polymers Inc.) and PBT chips (having a intrinsic viscosity of0.94 dl/gr, manufactured by Chang Chun Plastics Co., Ltd.) are used asraw materials in composite spinning for 24 segmented composite spinning,in which the melting temperature of the SEBS is set to 270° C., themelting temperature of the PBT is set to 280° C., and the compositeweight ratio of SEBS/PBT is 40/60. Spinning winding is then performed ata rate of 700 m/min to form a 15-denier composite fiber. Afterwards, thefiber is drawn by a multiple of 2.8, heat-setting is performed on thefiber having crimp with crimper machine, finally the fiber is cut into acomposite staple fiber at a length of 60 mm by cutting machine. Thecomposite staple fiber has the following physical properties: fineness:6 denier, fiber strength: 2.1 g/den, and elongation: 80%.

The composite staple fiber is then blended with a polyester staple fiberhaving a fineness of 2 denier at a weight ratio of 30/70. The fiber isopened, and is processed by a carding machine into a web. The web isstacked for five layers to achieve physical entanglement, therebyforming a non-woven fabric. The non-woven fabric has a weight per unitarea of 220 g/m². The non-woven fabric is then hot-pressed at 160° C. tosmooth down the surface of the fabric, and the SEBS is melted andsoftened at the same time. During the hot-pressing and cooling process,because the segmented structure of the composite fiber which will befine-cut and adhesion at some parts is generated between the fibers, soas to obtain an artificial leather substrate. As the TPE is dispersedand adhered between the fibers, the artificial leather substrateachieves desirable performance, and has the textile feeling ofartificial leather when rubbed by hands.

Comparative Example 1

A 100% polyester staple fiber is opened, and is processed by a cardingmachine into a web. Under conditions similar to those in Example 1, theweb is sequentially cogged and finished to achieve physicalentanglement, thereby forming a non-woven fabric. The non-woven fabrichas a weight per unit area of 220 g/m². The non-woven fabric is thenhot-pressed at 190° C. to smooth down the surface of the fabric.

Table 1 shows a comparison of the physical properties of the substrateof Comparative Example 1 (100% polyester staple fiber) and the substrateof Example 1 (30% SEBS composite staple fiber+70% polyester staplefiber). As shown in Table 1, the performance of the substrate having theSEBS/PBT composite staple fiber is significantly enhanced in terms oftear strength, tensile strength, peeling strength, and rupture strength,and the drop of elongation may improve the dimensional stability of thesubstrate in processing.

TABLE 1 Comparison of the physical properties of the substrate ofComparative Example 1 (100% polyester staple fiber) and the substrate ofExample 1 (30% SEBS composite staple fiber + 70% polyester staplefiber), in which MD represents mechanical direction and CD representscross direction. Fiber composition Tear Tensile Peeling Rupture ofnon-woven strength strength Elongation strength strength fabricsubstrate (kg) (kg) (%) (kg) (kg) 100% MD 8.5 24 80 12 15 polyester CD7.0 26 90 staple fiber 30% SEBS MD 10 32 65 17 20 composite CD 8 29 76staple fiber + 70% polyester staple fiber

Example 2

TPEE chips (having a hardness of 72 D, manufactured by LG Chem Co.,Ltd.) and PET chips (having a intrinsic viscosity of 0.94 dl/gr,manufactured by Shinkong Synthetic Fibers Corporation) are used as rawmaterials in composite spinning for 24 segmented composite spinning, inwhich the melting temperature of the TPEE is set to 275° C., the meltingtemperature of the PET is set to 280° C., and the composite weight ratioof TPEE/PET is 40/60. Spinning winding is then performed at a rate of700 m/min to form a 10-denier composite fiber. Afterwards, the fiber isdrawn by a multiple of 2.5, heat-setting is performed on the fiberhaving crimp with crimper machine, finally the fiber is cut into acomposite staple fiber at a length of 60 mm by cutting machine. Thecomposite staple fiber has the following physical properties: fineness:4 denier, fiber strength: 2.5 g/den, and elongation: 50%.

The composite staple fiber is then blended with a polyester staple fiberat a weight ratio of 30/70. The fiber is opened, and is processed by acarding machine into a web. The web is stacked for five layers, andsequentially cogged and finished to achieve physical entanglement,thereby forming a non-woven fabric. The non-woven fabric is thenhot-pressed at 180° C. to smooth down the surface of the fabric, and theTPEE is melted and softened at the same time. During the hot-pressingand cooling process, because the segmented structure of the compositefiber which will be fine-cut and adhesion at some parts is generatedbetween the fibers, so as to obtain an artificial leather substrate. Asthe TPE is dispersed and adhered between the fibers, the artificialleather substrate achieves desirable performance, and has the textilefeeling of artificial leather when rubbed by hands.

Example 3

SEBS chips (having a melt flow rate of 25 g/10 min, manufactured byKraton Polymers Inc.) and PET chips (having a intrinsic viscosity of0.64 dl/gr, manufactured by Shinkong Synthetic Fibers Corporation) areused as raw materials in composite spinning for 24 segmented compositespinning, in which the melting temperature of the SEBS is set to 270°C., the melting temperature of the PET is set to 285° C., and thecomposite weight ratio of SEBS/PET is 45/55. Spinning winding is thenperformed at a rate of 800 m/min to form a 13-denier composite fiber.Afterwards, the fiber is drawn by a multiple of 3.1, heat-setting isperformed on the fiber having crimp with crimper machine, finally thefiber is cut into a composite staple fiber at a length of 60 mm bycutting machine. The composite staple fiber has the following physicalproperties: fineness: 4.5 denier, fiber strength: 2.0 g/den, andelongation: 60%.

The composite staple fiber is then blended with a PET staple fiberhaving a fineness of 2 denier at a weight ratio of 35/65. The fiber isopened, and is processed by a carding machine into a web. The web isstacked for five layers, and sequentially cogged and finished to achievephysical entanglement, thereby forming a non-woven fabric. The non-wovenfabric has a weight per unit area of 220 g/m². The non-woven fabric isthen hot-pressed at 160° C. to smooth down the surface of the fabric,and the SEBS is melted and softened at the same time. During thehot-pressing and cooling process, because the segmented structure of thecomposite fiber which will be fine-cut and adhesion at some parts isgenerated between the fibers, so as to obtain an artificial leathersubstrate.

Example 4

TEP chips (having a melt flow rate of 50 g/10 min, manufactured byVistamaxx Company) and PET chips (having a intrinsic viscosity of 0.64dl/gr, manufactured by Shinkong Synthetic Fibers Corporation) are usedas raw materials in composite spinning for 32 segmented compositespinning, in which the melting temperature of the TEP is set to 270° C.,the melting temperature of the PET is set to 290° C., and the compositeweight ratio of TEP/PET is 35/65. The obtained composite fiber is drawnby a drawing machine at a rate of 5000 m/min, and the drawn compositefiber has the following physical properties: fineness: 3 denier, fiberstrength: 5.0 g/den, and elongation: 45%. After being drawn by thedrawing machine, the composite fiber is spread into a fiber web withuniform mass distribution. The fiber web is stacked for seven layers,and sequentially cogged and finished to achieve physical entanglement,thereby forming a non-woven fabric. The non-woven fabric has a weightper unit area of 330 g/m². The non-woven fabric is then hot-pressed at160° C. to smooth down the surface of the fabric, and the TEP is meltedand softened at the same time. During the hot-pressing and coolingprocess, because the segmented structure of the composite fiber whichwill be fine-cut and adhesion at some parts is generated between thefibers, so as to obtain an artificial leather substrate.

Example 5

TPEE chips (having a hardness of 72 D, manufactured by LG Chem Co.,Ltd.) and PET chips (having a intrinsic viscosity of 0.64 dl/gr,manufactured by Shinkong Synthetic Fibers Corporation) are used as rawmaterials in composite spinning for 16 segmented composite spinning, inwhich the melting temperature of the TPEE is set to 275° C., the meltingtemperature of the PET is set to 280° C., and the composite weight ratioof TPEE/PET is 30/70. The obtained composite fiber is drawn by a drawingmachine at a rate of 5000 m/min, and the drawn composite fiber has thefollowing physical properties: fineness: 3.5 denier, fiber strength: 4.5g/den, and elongation: 55%. After being drawn by the drawing machine,the composite fiber is spread into a fiber web with uniform massdistribution. The fiber web is stacked for six layers, and sequentiallycogged and finished to achieve physical entanglement, thereby forming anon-woven fabric. The non-woven fabric has a weight per unit area of 330g/m². The non-woven fabric is then hot-pressed at 190° C. to smooth downthe surface of the fabric, and the TPEE is melted and softened at thesame time. During the hot-pressing and cooling process, because thesegmented structure of the composite fiber which will be fine-cut andadhesion at some parts is generated between the fibers, so as to obtainan artificial leather substrate.

Example 6

The artificial leather substrate obtained in Example 1 is impregnated inan elastic polyurethane solution having a solid content of 30%, and thenextruded to remove the excessive elastic polyurethane solution, so as tomake the elastic polyurethane solution uniformly distributed on thesubstrate. Next, the elastic polyurethane solution is applied on thesubstrate to form an intermediate layer, the substrate is placed inwater to remove the solvent dimethylformamide, and the polyurethane issolidified into a porous intermediate layer (elastic film). After that,the substrate is rinsed to clean the solvent and then dried to obtainthe artificial leather having excellent physical properties and thetextile feeling of superfine fibers.

Comparative Example 2

Similar to the process in Example 6, the artificial leather substrateobtained in Comparative Example 1 is impregnated in an elasticpolyurethane solution having a solid content of 30%, and then extrudedto remove the excessive elastic polyurethane solution, so as to make theelastic polyurethane solution uniformly distributed on the substrate.Next, the elastic polyurethane solution is applied on the substrate toform an intermediate layer, the substrate is placed in water to removethe solvent dimethylformamide, and the polyurethane is solidified into aporous intermediate layer (elastic film). After that, the substrate isrinsed to clean the solvent and then dried to obtain an artificialleather.

Table 2 shows a comparison of the physical properties of the artificialleather of Comparative Example 2 (100% polyester staple fiber) and theartificial leather of Example 6 (30% SEBS composite staple fiber+70%polyester staple fiber). As shown in Table 2, the performance of theartificial leather having the SEBS/PBT composite staple fiber issignificantly enhanced in terms of tear strength, tensile strength,peeling strength, and rupture strength, and the artificial leatherachieves the delicate textile feeling of superfine fibers.

TABLE 2 Comparison of the physical properties of the artificial leatherof Comparative Example 2 (100% polyester staple fiber) and theartificial leather of Example 6 (30% SEBS composite staple fiber + 70%polyester staple fiber), in which MD represents mechanical direction andCD represents cross direction. Tensile Tear strength Peeling RuptureFiber composition strength (kg/2.54 Elongation strength strength ofartificial leather (kg/cm) cm) (%) (kg) (kg/cm²) 100% MD 10 42 100 3.523 polyester CD 9 32 120 staple fiber 30% SEBS MD 12 48 70 4.8 25composite CD 10 46 90 staple fiber + 70% polyester staple fiber

Example 7

The artificial leather substrate obtained in Example 1 is impregnated inan elastic polyurethane solution having a solid content of 22%, and thenextruded to remove the excessive elastic polyurethane solution, so as tomake the elastic polyurethane solution uniformly distributed on thesubstrate. Next, the substrate is placed in a dimethylformamide aqueoussolution for pre-solidification, and then extruded to remove theexcessive dimethylformamide aqueous solution. Afterwards, the elasticpolyurethane solution is applied on the substrate to form anintermediate layer, the substrate is placed in water to remove thesolvent dimethylformamide, and the polyurethane is solidified into aporous intermediate layer (elastic film). After that, the substrate isrinsed to clean the solvent and then dried to obtain an artificialleather having excellent physical properties and the textile feeling ofsuperfine fibers.

Example 8

The artificial leather substrate obtained in Examples 1 to 5 isimpregnated in an elastic polyurethane aqueous solution having a solidcontent of 30%, and then extruded to remove the excessive elasticpolyurethane aqueous solution, so as to make the elastic polyurethaneaqueous solution uniformly distributed on the substrate. Next, thesubstrate is pre-solidified, and the elastic polyurethane aqueoussolution is applied on the substrate to form an intermediate layer.After that, the substrate is rinsed to clean the solvent and then driedto obtain half-finished artificial leather having excellent physicalproperties and the textile feeling of superfine fibers.

Subsequently, the elastic polyurethane solution is applied on a releasepaper, and the paper is dried to make the solvent volatilize, so thatthe elastic polyurethane is cured into a thin film. At this time, thesolidified elastopolymer forms an elastic film. An adhesive is thenapplied on the surface of the elastic polyurethane thin film, thehalf-finished artificial leather is laminated on the thin film, and theleather substrate is dried to make the adhesive layer completelyreacted. Finally, the release paper is peeled off, and an artificialleather having excellent physical properties and the textile feeling ofsuperfine fibers is obtained.

While several embodiments of the present invention have been illustratedand described, various modifications and improvements can be made bythose skilled in the art. The embodiments of the present invention aretherefore described in an illustrative but not restrictive sense. It isintended that the present invention should not be limited to theparticular forms as illustrated, and that all modifications whichmaintain the spirit and scope of the present invention are within thescope defined by the appended claims.

1. A method for making a composite fiber having elastomer, comprising:(a) providing a first composition and a second composition, wherein thefirst composition is thermoplastic non-elastomer, the second compositionis thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), and the second composition is in anamount of 5 to 70 weight % of the composite fiber; and (b) using acomposite spinneret to simultaneously spin the first composition and thesecond composition so as to perform segmented composite spinning toobtain a plurality of composite fibers, wherein the first compositionand the second composition are alternately distributed in acircumference of a cross-section of each of the composite fibers, andthe length of the second composition is less than 50% of the totallength of the circumference.
 2. The method according to claim 1, whereinin the cross-section of each of the composite fibers, the firstcomposition comprises a plurality of first stripes having first segmentson two ends, and the second composition comprises a plurality of secondstripes having second segments on two ends.
 3. The method according toclaim 1, wherein in the cross-section of each of the composite fibers,the first composition comprises a plurality of first sectors, and thesecond composition comprises a plurality of second sectors.
 4. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein in the cross-section of each of thecomposite fibers, the first composition comprises a central portion anda plurality of first peripheral portions, and the first peripheralportions extend outwards from the central portion, the secondcomposition comprises a plurality of second peripheral portions, andeach of the second peripheral portions is located between two of thefirst peripheral portions.
 5. The method according to claim 1, whereinthe material of the first composition is selected from the groupconsisting of polyester polymers, polyamide polymers, and polyolefinpolymers.
 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the polyesterpolymers are polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutyleneterephthalate (PBT), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), andmodifications or copolymers thereof, the polyamide polymers arepolyamide-6 (PA6), polyamide-66 (PA66), polyamide-12 (PA12), andmodifications or copolymers thereof, and the polyolefin polymers arepolyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and modifications or copolymersthereof.
 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the material of thesecond composition is selected from the group consisting ofthermoplastic styrenic block copolymer elastomer, thermoplasticpolyester elastomer (TPEE), thermoplastic olefin (TPO), thermoplasticvulcanizate (TPV), and thermoplastic polyamide (TPA).
 8. The methodaccording to claim 7, wherein the thermoplastic styrenic block copolymerelastomer is styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS),styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene (SEBS),styrene-ethylene/propylene-styrene (SEPS), styrene-isoprene-styrene(SIS), or mixtures thereof, and the TPO is thermoplasticethylene-propylene copolymer (TEP).
 9. An artificial leather substrate,comprising a plurality of composite fibers, wherein each of thecomposite fibers comprises a first composition and a second composition,the first composition is thermoplastic non-elastomer, the secondcomposition is thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), and the second compositionis in an amount of 5 to 70 weight % of the composite fiber; the firstcomposition and the second composition are alternately distributed in acircumference of a cross-section of each of the composite fibers, andthe length of the second composition is less than 50% of the totallength of the circumference; and cross-points between the compositefibers are elastic bonding points formed by softening the secondcomposition, and the composite fibers are in an amount of 5 to 75 weight% of the substrate.
 10. The substrate according to claim 9, furthercomprising a plurality of mixed fibers, wherein the mixed fibers arethermoplastic non-elastomer, cross-points between the mixed fibers andthe composite fibers are elastic bonding points formed by softening thesecond composition, and the material of the mixed fibers is selectedfrom the group consisting of polyester polymers, polyamide polymers, andpolyolefin polymers.
 11. The substrate according to claim 9, wherein thematerial of the first composition is selected from the group consistingof polyester polymers, polyamide polymers, and polyolefin polymers, andthe material of the second composition is selected from the groupconsisting of thermoplastic styrenic block copolymer elastomer,thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE), thermoplastic olefin (TPO),thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV), and thermoplastic polyamide (TPA). 12.A method for making an artificial leather substrate, comprising: (a)providing a plurality of composite fibers, wherein each of the compositefibers comprises a first composition and a second composition, the firstcomposition is thermoplastic non-elastomer, the second composition isthermoplastic elastomer (TPE), and the second composition is in anamount of 5 to 70 weight % of the composite fiber, the first compositionand the second composition are alternately distributed in acircumference of a cross-section of each of the composite fibers, andthe length of the second composition is less than 50% of the totallength of the circumference; (b) forming a plurality of fiber webs,wherein the fiber webs contain the composite fibers; (c) stacking thefiber webs; (d) performing needle punching or water punching on thefiber webs; (e) softening the second composition to bond the compositefibers; and (f) curing the second composition, so that cross-pointsbetween the composite fibers are elastic bonding points formed by thesecond composition.
 13. The method according to claim 12, wherein thematerial of the first composition is selected from the group consistingof polyester polymers, polyamide polymers, and polyolefin polymers, andthe material of the second composition is selected from the groupconsisting of thermoplastic styrenic block copolymer elastomer,thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE), thermoplastic olefin (TPO),thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV), and thermoplastic polyamide (TPA). 14.The method according to claim 12, wherein in Step (b), the fiber websare formed by spunbonding, melt blowing, combing, wet laying, or airlaying.
 15. The method according to claim 12, wherein in Step (e), thesecond composition is softened by heating or through solutionimpregnation, and in Step (f), the second composition is cured byremoving the heat or the solution.